Air intake preheater for automobile engines



Sept. 9, 1952 K. M. BROWNELL 2,610,282

AIR INTAKE PREHEATER FOR AUTOMOBILE ENGINES Filed Nov. 2, 1949 FIG. I.

INVENTOR'.

ml l l /m 9 eat/l/ZQW Hls ATTORNE Patented Sept. 9, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE AIR INTAKE PREHEATER FOR AUTOMOBILE ENGINES Keith M. Brownell, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application November 2, 1949, Serial No. 125,078

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to heating equipment and is more particularly directed to mechanism for preheating intake air for automobile engines to facilitate the starting thereof in cold weather.

The object of the invention is to provide mechanism for internal combustion engines for supplying heated air to the engine manifold for the purpose of facilitating the starting of the engine.

This invention consists in the provision of a container, said container having a closure and tubes associated therewith for passing the air to be supplied to an automobile engine carburetor through oil, there being a heater immersed in the oil for heating it so that air passed therethrough will be heated prior to passing to the engine, thereby facilitating the starting of the engine.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the air heater,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a wiring diagram for the device shown in Fig. 1.

The invention is embodied in the structure set forth in the several views of the drawings in which the numeral I designates an insulated cup containing oil or other liquid with a suitable high boiling point. A closure 2 is provided for the cup I in which a cold air intake 3 is inserted. The end of the intake 3 within the cup is provided with a perforated closure 4 that is immersed in the oil. A tube 5 is secured to closure 2 and leads to the carburetor (not shown) of the engine and is disposed above the oil.

A heating element 6 is immersed in the oil and connected to a battery 7. The circuit for the heating element includes a thermal switch 8 and a high current relay 9. A pilot In is connected to the circuit in parallel with the heating element 6 for indicating whether or not the heating element is being energized. A three-way ignition switch II is included in battery 1 and the high current relay 9 circuit.

Upon being closed to one position, the threeway ignition switch I I will complete a circuit which includes the battery 1, the high current relay 9 and its normally closed switch 12, heating element 6, and the thermal switch 8, thus energizing the heating element 6 with battery 1. The heating element will bring the oil in cup I to the desired temperature, after which the thermal switch 8 will be opened, thereby opening the above circuit. This will be indicated by the pilot light 10 which may be connected in parallel with the heating element 6, the pilot light being lighted while the circuit is closed. Thereafter the three-way ignition switch is closed to its second position on the spark coil circuit (not shown), thus placing the engine in condition for starting. In the event the current supplied to heating element 6 is too excessive, the relay 9 will open 2 switch [2, thus opening the above circuit. The air passing through the oil bath in cup I will be heated prior to its admission to the engine manifold, thereby causing the engine to start more rapidly than if no heating unit were employed.

What I claim is:

1. An air heater comprising a container having a quantity of oil therein, a closure for said container, an air inlet tube held in said container one end of which tube is immersed in said oil, an air exhaust tube secured to said closure above the level of said oil, means for heating the oil in said container, a circuit for said heating means, means for signalling when said heating means is in operation, means immersed in the oil for regulating the amount of heat to be supplied to said oil; and a switch for said circuit that is opened when the engine on which the heater is mounted is started.

2. An air heater comprising a container having a quantity of oil therein, a closure for said container, an air inlet tube fixed in said closure, one end of said tube immersed in the oil, an air outlet tube fixed in said closure and disposed above the level of the oil, a heater for said oil, a source of electrical energy for said heater; a circuit for said heating means, means for signalling when said heating means is in operation, thermal switch immersed in said oil for regulating the flow of electrical energy to said heater; and a switch for said circuit that is opened when the engine on which the heater is mounted is started.

3. An air heater comprising a container having a quantity of oil therein, a closure for said container, an air inlet tube fixed in said closure, one end of said tube immersed in the oil, an air outlet tube fixed in said closure and disposed above the level of the oil, a heater for said oil, an elctric circuit for said heater including a source of electrical energy and means for signalling when said heater is in operation, a thermal switch immersed in said oil and connected in said circuit for controlling the flow of electrical energy to said heater; and a switch in said circuit adapted to be opened before the engine on which the heater is mounted is started.

KEITH M. BROWNELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 884,540 Thomson Apr. 14, 1908 1,234,995 Adams July 31, 1917 1,767,461 Kacena June 24, 1930 1,824,364 Pierce et a1 Sept. 22, 1931 2,145,863 Curioni et al Feb. 7, 1939 2,166,509 Smith July 18, 1939 2,203,425 Welch June 4, 1940 2,344,812 Gill Mar. 21, 1944 

